Spotlight on Education, Networking & Congressional Outreach at AUSPL Conference

AUSPL President Morgan Wolaver welcomed members to AUSPL Conference 2014 on March 28, 2014, held at the Astor Crowne Plaza New Orleans-French Quarter. For the first time, two Congressmen addressed the membership, Congressman Blake Farenthold (R-TX) and newly-elected Congressman David Jolly (R- FL). Representative Farenthold, Subcommittee Chairman on the House Oversight Committee and co-sponsor of…

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Who Has the Option?

by AUSPL Board Member Gary L. Poelstra One definition of option is “the power or right of choosing”.  When an option on your lease is given to the USPS you are giving them the right to lease your building at a specified price for a specified time.  The power to choose if they accept the…

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Help! A Vehicle Has Run Into My Post Office. What Do I Do?

By Bill Eck, AUSPL Insurance Program The first thing you need to do is make sure that your property is protected from further damage. Contact a local contractor to make emergency repairs to secure the building. They can also give you an initial estimate to do the permanent repairs. The postmaster does not always know…

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AUSPL Lobbying Program In Review

WHERE DID WE START? We started this journey for postal reform in 2011 and have exceeded all of the expectations. When we first began we were faced with a Congress comprised of members that had no idea the postal leasing program even existed. With the help and hard work of the board we have changed…

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“Do or Die” Time for Postal Reform in 113th Congress

As we enter the spring and prepare for election season to ramp-up, now is “do or die” time for postal reform in the 113th Congress. As we know from our previous endeavors, if Congress fails to act before the 114th Congress is sworn in this January, the process of postal reform will start over in both Chambers.

That being said, we are beginning to see some movement in the House of Representatives with staff briefing leadership and members on the various provisions and plans in the Postal Reform Act.

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“Holdovers”

By Tom Coe and Phil Wilson of Real Estate Asset Counseling What a distasteful word –”Holdovers.” It reminds many people of the “leftovers” for lunch or dinner when we would rather enjoy the pleasure of a fresh, newly prepared meal.  The correlation is not too hard to make, since a “holdover” in the context of…

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USPS is Responsible for Changing Burned-Out Light Bulbs

It is the responsibility of the Postal Service to change burned- out light bulbs in leased facilities. The T-12 florescent light bulbs are no longer available in the catalog; however, they are available elsewhere. The Postal Service has advised its personnel not to substitute T-12 bulbs with T-8 bulbs as they do not work even…

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